Chapter 59: A Night Destined for Bloodshed.
Shen Changqing's face was calm, as he walked alone on the street.
Suddenly, a breeze brushed by.
His footsteps halted and he drew his sword.
He had gathered Heavenly Martial True Qi long ago, so his attack exploded with a terrifying amount of power. He fiercely turned around and slashed down.
A person clad in red, whose face could not be seen, was then split into two halves.
"Ah!!!"
A sharp and piercing scream rang out. The body of the person also dissipated into thin air, like smoke.
At the same time, a familiar aura merged into Shen Changqing's hands, from along the body of the blade.
Looking at the panel, Shen Changqing's Killing Value had changed from 0 to 7 points.
The monster that he had just killed, was considered to be the weakest one he had ever encountered.
It was obvious from the fact that the other party only contributed 7 points of Killing Value. It was really too weak.
After killing the monster with one slash, the streets in front of him had returned to normal.
Shen Changqing sheathed the sword and quickly walked towards the Government Office.
That monster dared to launch a sneak attack on him. It was now clear that his original guess was correct.
The Eternal Life Alliance did not just use their forces (monsters) to snatch the Demon's Essence Blood, but they also sent some to attack Lin'an City.
As for how many, Shen Changqing thought that it was likely that there were at least two.
One was for the 100,000 people of Lin'an City.
The second was to take revenge.
After all, two demons had already died in his hands, plus several monsters. How could the Eternal Life Alliance not get angry at him?
When Shen Changqing arrived at the Government Office, he found that the door was closed, but the inside was brightly lit.
"Someone, open the door for this Official!"
Shen Changqing shouted in a deep voice.
Soon, the tightly closed door slowly opened.
An Official then cautiously poked his head out. When he saw Shen Changqing, his face immediately showed a look of relief.
"My Lord has returned!"
The main door was officially opened.
A crowd of Officials poured out from inside.
Shen Changqing stepped into the Government Office and looked at the Officials gathered. He said indifferently: "Have Shi Qingsheng and Zhang Yue come see me in the inner hall. As for the others, try to stay in the Government Office and wait for this Official's order."
"Yes!"
The Officials nodded their heads in response.
•×•×•×•
In the inner hall.
Shen Changqing sat down. Shi Qingsheng and Zhang Yue came together.
"Your Excellency (My Lord)!"
"What has happened in the city?"
As Shen Changqing spoke, he looked at the faces of the two men.
Whether it was Shi Qingsheng or Zhang Yue, there was a nervous look on their faces.
Hearing this, Zhang Yue was the first to clasp his fist and reply: "My Lord, not long after you had left, some abnormalities were found in the city. Some people found that the road had no end, while others found that they kept circling in the same place."
"I suspected that there were monsters, so I arranged for all the Officials to temporarily be on standby in the Government Office."
"We were waiting for the Lord to return, before we made the next decision!"
After Zhang Yue finished speaking, Shi Qingsheng asked Shen Changqing: "Your Excellency, did you encounter any abnormalities on your way back?"
"The earthquake seems to have attracted a lot of monsters. While I was coming back, I encountered a monster, which I then killed. However, from the current situation, it seems that there are more monsters that have infiltrated the city."
"Some of these monsters are definitely more than just a simple one."
"Immediately pass my order to close all four gates of the city. Without my permission, no one is allowed to enter or leave."
Shen Changqing's face turned slightly cold.
From the situation described by Zhang Yue, the number of monsters in the city was definitely not as simple as one or two.
However, most of the monsters could only confuse people. Their strength was limited.
However, he could not be 100% sure that all of the monsters in the city would be weak.
As Zhang Yue was ready to retreat, Shen Changqing stopped him.
"The current number of the monsters in the city seems to be quite a lot. The Officials wouldn't be able to resist them. So gather the roosters in the city that has lived for more than three years."
Seeing the doubts on the two's faces, Shen Changqing patiently explained: "The rooster is a being of Yang. Its blood, although not 100% effective against the monsters, can play some role in protecting you."
"As long as you encounter unusual circumstances, spill some rooster blood and break the illusion or trap. It should also buy you time to escape."
"Of course, you cannot presume to use rooster blood to kill the monsters, that is of no use."
"This humble servant will follow my Lord's orders!"
Zhang Yue solemnly clasped his fist, turned around and left.
Shen Changqing's gaze then fell on Shi Qingsheng, who wanted to say something, but his words were stuck in his throat.
"You don't need to say anything, just live well!"
Shi Qingsheng was a scholar with no power, what could he do?
Although it was said that there were great scholars that were able to restrain monsters, Shi Qingsheng obviously had not reached that level.
During the previous time, when the monsters attacked the Government Office, Shi Qingsheng managed to survive because of his luck.
Hearing this, Shi Qingsheng bitterly smiled: "Thank you for your concern, I know what to do!"
He knew his capabilities. If he faced the monsters, he would add more trouble than good.
•×•×•×•
Two to three quarters of an hour later.
Zhang Yue had collected a lot of roosters. In accordance with Shen Changqing's instructions, they killed them and obtained their blood. The blood was then put into bottles, with each Official carrying 8 or 10 bottles.
In the outer hall of the Government Office.
Many of the Officials were gathered, each holding a torch in their hands. Some of them had a look of fear on their faces, but some of them were resolute.
In the previous attack on the Government Office, some of the Officials had died, so Shen Changqing recruited new people.
Now, the number of people in the Government Office had reached more than 40.
Shen Changqing stood in front of all of them. He said with a solemn face: "This Official will not say more. I will only leave you with this, 'You're eating food from the government and have a salary from the people's taxes!'"
"In normal days, the people provide for you, that is their obligation. But in times of danger, you must stand in the forefront and protect the peace of the people behind you. This is your obligation!"
Only Shen Changqing's voice echoed in the outer hall.
"Now that monsters are attacking Lin'an City, this Official needs you to do a few things. First, immediately block the city gates in all four directions, do not let anyone in or out."
"Second, you need to patrol the city, inspect the situation everywhere. If any anomalies are found, report back immediately. This Official will personally kill the monster/s."
"As for the chicken blood in the bottles, only use it when you're in a pinch. Otherwise, once all of it is consumed, there's no more. I believe there is no need to repeat myself?!"
Zhang Yue clasped his fist and said in a deep voice: "My Lord, rest assured that the monsters disrupting Lin'an City, even if I sacrifice my life, will never be able to escape!"
"Good, then let's go!"
Shen Changqing waved his hand and Zhang Yue led all of the Officials.
The Government Office seemed to have become emptier.
"Your Excellency, are you certain of dealing with the monsters?" Shi Qingsheng, who was standing by his side, looked calm, but there was an irrepressible fear in his eyes.
He was just an ordinary person.
Facing something like monsters, that far exceeded the realm of normal people, instinctively made him feel fear.
"Certain?"
Shen Changqing shook his head and snorted: "When facing monsters and demons, who dares to say that they are 100% certain? However, you can rest assured that this Official, as the Governor of Lin'an City, will definitely not let Lin'an City fall into the hands of the demons' side."
'Unless... things really can't be done!'
Shen Changqing silently added a sentence in his heart.
After pacifying Shi Qingsheng, Shen Changqing asked after some pause, "Is there any powerful weapon in the Government Office? This Official's sword has been corroded and is hard to wield."
"A powerful weapon?"
Shi Qingsheng was stunned and fell into contemplation.
After some thinking, he thought of one thing.
"When we retrieved the Zhao Family's assets, there were some weapons. They are currently piled up inside the treasury, Your Excellency can follow me to have a look."
"Good, lead the way!"
•×•×•×•
With Shi Qingsheng leading, the two soon arrived at the treasury.
There was a stack of boxes, all of which were sealed.
There were also several racks of weapons placed there.
Pointing to the weapon racks, Shi Qingsheng said: "Your Excellency, these are the existing weapons in the treasury, you can take a look."
Shen Changqing approached the rack and casually picked up a sword. It was not light nor heavy in his hand. He drew it and the white blade of the sword displayed itself.
He bent his finger and gave it a flick.
A crisp noise sounded.
The sword then shook violently, as if it would crack any time.
Seeing this, Shen Changqing could only helplessly shake his head.
He put the sword back to its sheath, rearranged it back to its place, and then looked at other weapons.
A quarter of an hour later, the two people left the treasury.
There were quite a few weapons, but they were all for show. They looked good, but they had no practical use.
Shen Changqing was afraid of breaking those weapons when he exerted even a little bit of force.
Compared with the weapons from the Demon Suppression Division, it was more than a class of difference.
Even his corroded sword was much better than those weapons.
Back at the inner hall.
Shen Changqing was sitting with a basin of water on his side. His sword was also unequipped from his waist and the sheath was placed aside.
One of his hands held a wet rag while the other held the sword. He was wiping the corroded blade.
In every important event, Shen Changqing needed to do something to calm his heart.
Cleaning his sword was one of them.
Simply wiping the sword with water wouldn't wash away the traces of corrosion, but it helped Shen Changqing's heart gradually calm down.
After a while, he stopped.
He discarded the rag in the water basin, and inspected the sword that seemed to become a few notches brighter.
"Only you can help me in this endeavor!"
Looking at the sword, Shen Changqing had a slight smile on his face. However, under the illumination of the candle flame, it looked a little cold and stern.
This was a night destined for bloodshed.
Shen Changqing had sent Shi Qingsheng back to rest. Right now, in Lin'an City, it was only him that's able to fight with the monsters.